


Please, Beloved

by sherlockian4evr



Series: Ironstrange Bingo [7]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Established Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, For: Mental Bond, IronStrange Bingo 2019, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Mental Link, Minor Injuries, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 09:10:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20468564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherlockian4evr/pseuds/sherlockian4evr
Summary: Tony finds out that Stephen can block their mental bond. He also finds out about Dormammu. Both are highly disturbing.





	Please, Beloved

**Author's Note:**

> I'm taking fic requests. If you have something you would like me to write, drop me a note at sherlockian4evr@gmail.com.

Tony could feel a tug on the mental bond he shared with Stephen. He had been feeling it for days: a persistent sense of danger. He was both thankful for and loathed their mental bond. He hated the fact that he could sense when Strange was in danger, but as long as he could feel their bond, he knew he was still alive.

The flavor of their mental bond changed abruptly and Stark sagged in relief. He could tell his lover was exhausted, but Stephen was safe. He tossed aside the wrench he had been using and stood expectantly. A moment later, a portal opened and Strange stumbled through.

Tony surged forward ready to catch the sorcerer, sure he would fall, but the Cloak of Levitation kept Stephen upright. “Damn! FRIDAY, what is his condition?” Under his breath, he added, “And how did you hide it from me?” The billionaire genius placed one palm at Strange’s nape and the other on his cheek as he listened to the list of injuries. Thankfully, none of them were life threatening. “Levi, put him on the couch.”

The Cloak floated Stephen to the couch and settled him down on it gently, sliding out from under him at the last possible moment. Without being told, it went get the first aid kit.

Strange’s eyes fluttered open and locked onto Tony. “Sorry,” he said, his voice just above a whisper.

Stark accepted the kit from the Cloak. “Sorry about what? Getting the shit beat out of you, or hiding it from me?”

The sorcerer gave a pained smile. “Yeah, that.” He tried to sit up and a flare of pain shot through him. Since he was shielding their bond, the billionaire barely felt it, but he did feel it.

“Stay still, Steph,” Tony said, placing a hand on Stephen's shoulder and pressing him back onto the couch. He started unbuckling his lover's robes to expose the scrapes and bruises that he sensed lay beneath. “How about you explain everything to me in excruciating detail while tend to these.” He nodded towards the abrasions that he was slowly revealing. “Starting with how you hid all of this from me.”

Strange leaned up and let the genius remove his overwrap and shirt, then he leaned back again with a grimace. “It's a little trick I picked up on my last trip to Kamar-Taj.”

Tony used a sterile wipe to clean the sorcerer's abrasions. “Ah. I see. And you thought you would keep this little gem of information a secret from me for kicks and grins.” He dabbed at a scrape with slightly more force than was strictly necessary.

“Ow! I wasn’t sure it would work and… Dammit, Tony, stop.” Stephen grasped Stark’s wrist.

Ever mindful of his lover's hands and the constant pain that plagued them, the billionaire froze. The Cloak plucked the sterile wipe from Tony's fingers and took over the task of tending to Stephen's wounds.

The two men stared at one another for a long moment, then Stark bent forward and pressed their foreheads together. “I love you. I need to know if you’re okay.”

The sorcerer brought his shaking hands up and ran them through Tony’s hair. “And if I’m not, what then? You can't always come save me. Our bond works across dimensions. Isn’t it cruel to inflict such knowledge upon you if there’s no way for you to help?”

“But I would know. I would be waiting and ready upon your return to help you. Not like today…”

The Cloak was hovering restlessly. It wanted to continue its ministrations. Stephen shooed it away.

“You seem to be handling things very well as it is,” Strange pointed out. Tony glared at him. “But that’s not the point.”

“No. It isn't. Did you stop to think how this would make me feel? What if I were the one manipulating you and our bond in order to hide things?”

The sorcerer blanched at the word ‘manipulate’. He hadn't thought of what he had done as manipulation, but it clearly was. “And I thought you were supposed to be the manipulative asshole in this relationship.” He let out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, Tony.”

“Promise never to do it again and all is forgiven.” Stark leaned forward and placed a kiss on Stephen's unresponsive lips. “Hey, what is it?”

“I won’t promise that. I won’t let you feel me die.”

“Grim much?” The genius combed his fingers through his hair, agitated. “Maybe I'll be the one to go first.”

“And maybe not. I’ve already died. I’m just thankful we hadn’t mind bonded yet.”

Tony felt ill. “When you had your accident,” he guessed. He’d had no idea. If Stephen hadn’t pulled through…

“No. Dormammu. In the space of a few repeated seconds, I died over a thousand times. If we had been bonded, you would have felt all of those deaths at once. I’ll not risk that happening in the future.”

The Cloak tossed the sterile wipe into the air, then floated off to the corner where it hovered. It thought the two men were being ridiculous.

A surge of anger, confusion, and protectiveness surged through their mental bond from Tony to Stephen, making the sorcerer feel defensive. “It had to be done,” Stephen said, his voice pleading.

“No. I don’t accept that.” The genius hugged Strange to himself, his grip fierce. It was only Stephen’s cry of pain that diverted the genius from starting a fight. He tended to the sorcerer’s injuries, his lips pressed together into a thin line. When he finished, he let out a long sigh. “We are going to talk about this when you are better,” he told his lover sternly. “Now move over.”

The pulse of relief, gratitude, and love that came over the mental bond from Stephen made Tony relax somewhat. “I love you, you idiot.” He looked around and saw the Cloak. “Come on, Levi. We’re sorry.”

The Cloak zipped over and covered Stephen, draping itself over him. Both men chuckled as Tony laid down on the wide sofa next to Stephen. “Seriously, don’t sacrifice yourself like that.”

Strange sent soothing love over the bond. “I’ll no sooner sacrifice myself than you would. I promise you that.”

Tony understood. Their lives weren’t ideal. There would always be danger. He let Stephen's love soothe him as he held him in his arms. They were both safe for the moment. Maybe that was all he could ask.

**Author's Note:**

> I read and treasure every single comment I receive, but I'm totally crap at responding to them. Please know that they fuel me. Thank you in advance.
> 
> If you want to podfic or translate this or create a drawing based on it, go for it. Just please let me know and link back to my fic.
> 
> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://sherlockian4evrsblog.tumblr.com) or @sherlockian4evr on Twitter.
> 
> Find out how my muse is doing at [My Other Tumblr](http://writingformymuse.tumblr.com).


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